The brief meeting this morning between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Barack Obama produced a 2,500-word joint statement and another 5,800 words of additional affirmations and commitments from the Prime Minister’s Office. The documents released Thursday, no doubt the products of months of drafting and negotiation between Canadian and American officials, cover a wide array of continental and…
WorkSafeBC says it could be months before its investigation into an explosion and fire at a wood products mill in Quesnel is complete. No one was injured in the blast, which occurred Wednesday at about 5:30 p.m. A cause has not been determined and the company that owns the WestPine MDF mill says it’s unclear…
A fire and explosion Wednesday at a Quesnel mill could have been catastrophic and deadly, says Al Johnson, Vice President of Prevention Field Services for WorkSafeBC. Thirty workers inside West Fraser’s WestPine MDF plant were evacuated safely. It took crews almost five hours to put out the fire. Potential for serious injuries, death “There was the potential here for being catastrophic,” said…
WorkSafeBC has launched an investigation into the cause of an explosion and fire at a forest products mill in Quesnel, B.C. Al Johnson, vice-president of prevention services, said a team of WorkSafe investigators took over the scene from the RCMP on Thursday morning, barely 12 hours after fire tore through a section of the WestPine…
B.C. Premier Christy Clark says she is optimistic about a top-level agreement to try to head off another Canada-U.S. softwood lumber trade conflict. British Columbia sent $3.3-billion of softwood lumber to the United States last year, but the expiration of the 2006 softwood lumber agreement means that U.S. forestry interests have an opportunity to launch…
Canada’s new ambassador to the United States says the relentless focus on the Keystone XL pipeline project has strained Canada-U.S. relations, making it difficult for the two countries to make progress on other major initiatives. “There’s no question that that particular dispute sucked all the oxygen out of the room in terms of the relationship. And you hear…
There are serious concerns with the Trans Pacific Partnership that can only be addressed with a full and open debate among Canadians about the deal, Unifor National President Jerry Dias told the House of Commons Standing Committee on International Trade this morning. “Meaningful public consultation informed by credible, independent research is a must,” Dias told…
One has to continue questioning what is happening within the Ministry of Forests. After all, the ministry’s B.C. Timber Sales has been less than forthcoming when it comes to communicating with Cherryville residents about Cherry Ridge logging, and now, the ministry has denied a freedom of information request to access a report into a slide…
Charles Dutil, president and CEO of Manac Inc., announces the main activities scheduled for the company’s 50th anniversary. Founded by Marcel Dutil in 1966, Manac was born as an innovative entrepreneurial solution to the transportation needs of Dutil’s existing business, Canam Steel. Manac’s first semitrailer was built in the founder’s backyard barn. During its first year…
The next seven months could be very nervous times in Canada’s forestry sector, particularly softwood lumber. That’s because the Softwood Lumber Agreement that Canada signed with the U.S. in 2006 expired last October 12. Canada had hoped to simply renew the agreement at that time, but the U.S. refused. Instead, we have a one-year grace…